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Before I became a mother I decided I'd be that mom who had the cool kid who ate amazing things at dinner parties. I wanted to be sure that my kids would love food and have food give them daily pleasures in life. Once I had children I realized that the realities of feeding a child daily can be very far removed from that. Sometimes there are lots of mundane and boredom at meal times. There are also lots of appetites to contend with- despite how much you as a parent push boundaries.

One day I realized... hmm if I have a child in my home for 18 years and feed it three meals a day (365.25 x 3)- that's about 19,723.5 meals I and my husband are responsible for providing. I could not have them all be fabulous. I wanted to take a portion of those meals and make them interesting. So I wondered, how many meals have to be interesting to achieve my goals of raising a child who loves food (and can maybe eat amazing things at dinner parties?).

I tried to find a number and did the math. I decided to omit the first year of meals (1095.75) because they consist mostly of nursing and mush. That left 17 years at three meals a day or 18627.75 meals - Then I took out some meals for missed meals- you know they get sick or get punished without dinner. I have no idea how many meals that will be but I just rounded down to 18,000 meals over the course of 18 years that I'll have to plan and execute. Now what could happen if just 10% of these meals I assure are thoughtful and adventurous? What kind of fun could happen and what kind of eaters could I help create?

Join me as I discover this. This blog documents, in no particular order, adventures I've had with my children in the kitchen, in restaurants, and in travels. Some adventures are full meals, some are snacks, and some are not actually eating but evolve around the topic of food as it's introduced to the kiddies. Some are mundane meals made a little special and some will be crazy splurges around experiencing food. If you have any of your adventures that you think should be included write me.

Margarita, i.e., Mami, is a mom of three who loves to have plenty of food adventures. She has always enjoyed finding food adventures at restaurants and while traveling. She is now learning about the fun of creating food adventures at home. She lives in NYC but spends lots of time in central PA where her husband's family have a family homestead. There she grows over 100 varieties of vegetables and fruits to harvest, preserve, and enjoy throughout the year. She and her husband also raise hogs, cows, and chickens to harvest, preserve, and enjoy throughout the year!

The supportive hubby:
Will, i.e. Dad, is a dad who is very supportive of Mami and the food adventures she plans out for the family. He's been even known to drive from NYC to North Carolina with three kids and to drive around looking for good road food. Dad likes to cook, explore NYC restaurants, and grow our own protein. Dad writes a blog www.inovationbootcamp.net about creativity and careers.

M'ijo (mi hijo- or my son in Spanish)- is a seven year old boy who started out as a good eater but then at age nine months, while visiting Paris of all places, decided that he didn't like to eat much and most food textures annoyed him. Mami then had the great challenge of just figuring out how to keep the child with nutrients and how to not have him stuck on his limited palate. M'ijo has always despised cheese and any sauces. Try to find a great kiddie cookbook that omits these two items. Fortunately M'ijo has always liked vegetables- and prefers them raw. One of his favorite things to eat is raw Kale- I can't figure him out. M'ijo is slowly learning the importance of food adventures and is now taking great care to help plan them.

M'ija (mi hija or my daughter in Spanish)- is a four year old girl who is difficult about most things except food. She is a generally good eater and enjoys trying new things. She also enjoys helping her parents in the kitchen. She also loves going to eat at restaurants and has very strong opinions about a few places. She especially enjoys eating at her favorite Mexican restaurant where she can find daily freshly made corn tortillas and she enjoys tofu vegetable soup at Thai restaurants and loves having brunch at a local little French place. She always is ready to help create a new food adventure.

M'ijita (mi hijita or my little daughter in Spanish)- is an eight month old girl who is enjoying trying out new foods. Nursing is still her preference as it is locally produced and designed just for her. She is however learning the enjoyment of playing with one's food, well quite literally. Although the blog focus is on feeding children who aren't just nursing and eating mush- I will certainly include some of M'ijita's food adventures in her first year.